Harry Potter and the Birthday Present
by PennyT
Summary: Harry Potter's 15th Birthday, with a party and a special present (it might get pg13 in a later part)
1. Default Chapter Title

Harry Potter and the Birthday Present (I thought of calling it Harry Potter & the Celebration of Birth, but it sounded too stilted, so I skipped the "of" title component. Sorry!)   
by PennyT115@aol.com

As you know, everyone in this chapter who seems familiar is from JKR's books,and I am only borrowing them (without permission).

Chapter One   
Harry Potter stood on the train, picking up a small cage from the seat next to him, and pulling a large and heavy trunk from below the seats. This was his stop, Whitside Groves, from his Aunt and Uncle's house in Surrey.   
It was almost the end of July, and Harry, for the first time in his memory, was going to have a birthday party. His best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, had sent him letters by owl post during the first week of summer vacation from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, inviting him to visit during the month of August. After a flurry of owls back and forth, it had all been arranged. Today, July 30, he had taken a taxi to the train station, and then the train to the Granger's town. Hermione and her parents were to meet him at the train station. He would stay with them until the middle of August, when he and Hermione would both go to visit the Weasley family at their house, The Burrow.   
Since Harry's birthday was July 31, Hermione had decided to plan a birthday party for Harry's second night's visit. She had owled their friends from school, and told Harry that a lot of people were going to make it, including some surprise guests, but she wouldn't say exactly who was coming.   
It had been at least 14 years since Harry had celebrated his birthday with a party. He assumed that he'd had one for his first birthday party, which was about three months before his parents were killed by Lord Voldemort, the Dark Wizard who had returned to power earlier that summer, in a horrible ritual that left one of Harry's friends murdered, and some of Harry's own blood coursing through Voldemort's veins. He had enjoyed birthday cake on July 31 at least twice in his memory, the year before, when his friends sent him cakes, and the year he turned eleven, when Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper brought him a slightly squished birthday cake, when he came to the Hut On The Rock, where Harry and the Dursleys were staying while Uncle Vernon tried to hide them from the thousands of letters Harry had been receiving, admitting him to Hogwarts.   
This year, he was looking forward to his birthday, hoping that by celebrating, he would be able to take his mind off Voldemort for a few hours. At least the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead, a souvenir of his first battle with Voldemort the night his parents were killed, hadn't hurt since he returned to Privet Drive.   
Harry had a complicated time arranging everything so he could get to Hermione's house while exchanging the fewest possible words with his Aunt and Uncle. He had sent Hedwig to Gringots, the wizard bank, a few days ago with a bagfull of silver Sickles, to exchange for Muggle money, so he could pay for the taxi and train ticket. He had also ordered a little cart with wheels, so it would be easy to move his heavy trunk without using magic. Underage wizards (Harry was one) were forbidden to use magic during the summers, although that rule had been bent for Harry before. He didn't want to test it again.   
Hermione had arranged for Hedwig to fly to her house the night before Harry was to arrive, so he didn't have to carry a snowy owl on Muggle transportation. He hoped she had already arrived at the Granger's.   
"Everyone off for Whitside!" yelled the conductor.   
Harry, his things all arranged on his luggage cart with his trunk standing on its end, moved to the door of the train, and bumped his belongings down the step. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he heard, "Harry! Harry! We're over here!" Hermione stood with her father under a giant clock about halfway up the platform. Harry called "Hello!" back to them with a wave, and began tugging his cart towards the Grangers. Suddenly, the trunk felt much lighter, as if it was pulling itself. He saw Hermione slide her wand back into her pocket, and gripped onto the cart. It wouldn't do to have his luggage slide away from him in a train station full of Muggles, and he couldn't understand why Hermione was doing magic during the summer in public. It was a violation of Wizarding Law.   
As he reached them, Hermione threw her arms around him in a hug, and said, "I am so glad to see you! We were concerned that your Aunt and Uncle would change their minds at the last minute and not let you come, and after we've planned everything for tomorrow it would be such a disaster. Oh, and Hedwig arrived this morning!" Hermione introduced Harry and her father, Dr. Granger, even though they had met in Diagon Alley while buying school supplies almost three years before.   
Harry then answered Hermione's unstated question, "I didn't even see them this morning – I left before they even woke up, took the taxi to the train station, and hung around for a few hours, Muggle-watching. I did leave them a note reminding them that I was coming here, and told them that I would see them in June. But Hermione," his voice dropping to a whisper, "why are you doing magic in the train station?"   
"Oh, Professor McGonnagal got special permission for me from the Ministry of Magic. I'm taking my Transfiguration and Charms OWLs this fall, remember, and I needed a little practice over the summer, so I can get ready for them. So I'm doing charms whenever I can. Mother is very pleased, because I offer to help with the dishes every night. And it's made it easy for me to do the decorations for tomorrow!"   
Harry was a little surprised that Professor McGonnagal had gone to the Ministry of Magic to get special permission for Hermione, given the fight between Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, and Fudge, the Minister of Magic, and told Hermione so.   
She replied, "I don't think Minister Fudge knows about it at all. It's such a small branch, I don't think they even inform the Minister of everything they do."   
They had reached the car, and Hermione and Harry pretended to struggle with a heavy trunk, which was now as light as a Golden Snitch, as they shoved it into Dr Granger's car boot. Hermione and Harry hopped into the back seat. "It's only about ten minute's drive from here Harry," Dr. Granger said. "But we'll be down the street from here tomorrow."   
Hermione interrupted, "The party is going to be at one of the restaurants. We've got a private room, and I've been waiting for a chance like this to practice my memory charms!"   
Harry listened to Hermione's tour of the town. She pointed out her primary school, her parents' dental office, the toy shop next door to the office where she had made all the dolls dance on the floor, when she was five. "They didn't let me in there again, but luckily the bookstore was on the other side."   
They pulled up to a stoplight where the offices and shops gave way to rows and rows of houses. Dr Granger made conversation with Harry, asking him about his favorite classes and politely inquiring after his Aunt and Uncle's health. Harry had never spoken with a Muggle who wasn't horrified or terrified by the wizarding world, and he was surprised at how easy it was to chat with Dr Granger. If the next two weeks were going to be like this, it would be the best birthday in his memory.   
After they arrived at Hermione's house, and Harry was shown to the guestroom next to the library, he unpacked some of his clothing out of his suitcase. At the Dursley's, Harry generally wore his cousin Dudley's hand me downs which were generally at least two times too large for him, but he had an unpleasant feeling that while staying at the Granger's, he might need some better fitting Muggle clothing. He had a little Muggle money left; maybe it would be enough for some new jeans and a few t shirts in Whitside.   
Over dinner, Hermione's parents were as pleasant as her father had been in the car; they talked about Muggle subjects like the television programs Harry had seen over the summer, and Wizarding subjects like Harry's Quidditch team. While Hermione hadn't missed one of the games Harry had played in as Seeker for the Gryffendor House team, she wasn't enough of a fan to enjoy explaining the game to her father, who was a football fan, so Harry had the job of doing it that night, with some help from one of his books, Flying With The Cannons, which had moving Wizard pictures that showed how the different balls, including the Snitch, Bludgers and Quaffle moved, and the different ways the Seeker, Beaters, Keeper and Chasers flew their broomsticks across the sky.   
By eleven o'clock, everyone was yawning. The Drs Granger retired to their bedroom, but Harry had already explained that for the past few years, he had stayed up until after midnight on his birthday, and wanted to do the same this year. So he and Hermione sat in the library, talking about the classes they were going to take in the upcoming year, and wondering whether Professor Moody, who had spent the previous year a prisoner in his own magical trunk, instead of teaching the Defense Against The Dark Arts class, would actually get to teach this year.   
The minute hand ticked closer and closer to midnight.   



	2. Default Chapter Title

The usual disclaimers - the characters belong to JKR, the charms belong to me.   
Please R/R - if you want to see how Harry got to the Granger house, read the first part (same title, same author)   


* * *

Harry and Hermione sat in her parents' library, listening to the ticks and tocks from the mantelpiece clock. Hermione described the Wizard Chess strategies which were shown in a book she had purchased in Diagon Alley earlier that summer. "I've learned a lot from the books. Since the pictures move, you can almost play a game as you turn the pages. The Grandmaster who wrote it shows all these tactics you can use when you're playing someone who has good relationship with his chessmen." 

Harry asked, "You don't think that you could beat Ron after reading a chess book or two, do you? You don't even have your own set of pieces yet!" Ron was a very good Wizard Chess player, and was trusted by all his chessmen. Harry's were still suspicious of his abilities, and did not enjoy being played by Hermione at all. 

Hermione replied, "if I play while using the Consurtamus charm on them, they should respond to me. At least, that's what I think from all the research I've done. Did you hear that?" 

"What?" asked Harry. He hadn't heard anything, but Hermione was looking at the window as if she heard a noise from that direction. 

"That noise," she said. He still didn't hear anything. "It sounds like an owl is knocking at the window. I am so tired from all my studying for Charms. Will you go see what it is?" she said, smiling slightly. 

Harry was very puzzled, and more than a little concerned. He looked at Hermione, and she just smiled at him, and jerked her thumb towards one of the windows that looked over the backyard. 

"Out that window, I think. Just open it, tell me what's there," she said. 

He walked over to the window, peered through the glass, and said, "It's dark, I don't see anything, not even an owl."   
"Maybe it's Pig," Hermione wondered, "Ron's owl is so tiny, you wouldn't be able to see it through a closed window. There'd be too much glare. I hear it again, so just open it, Harry." She sat in her chair, with her legs dangling over the arm, and made that jerking gesture with her thumb again. "Say Open Sesame, or pull it open. Just do something – it's one minute until your birthday." 

Harry felt exasperated with Hermione. Why was she pretending to hear something at the window? He turned back to the window with a huff, pulled the curtain back, and shoved the window up. 

Two pair of arms reached in and pulled him through the window. 

* * *

Harry felt himself falling forward as something grabbed onto his ankles. He was surrounded by darkness, but not the same kind of dark feeling he experienced every time he had touched a Portkey. This darkness was full of red and gold sparkles, the same kind that came out of his wand when he polished it. He twisted to try and see what, or who, was holding his ankles. As he did, he felt solid ground under his feet, but everything was still pitch dark. 

He reached for his wand, which he had carried everywhere since his duel with Voldemort the night the Triwizard Cup ended, and pointed it straight in front of himself. He was prepared to stun anything that made a noise. He had somehow lost his voice. Even though he wanted to yell out, "Who's there?" somehow, he couldn't. 

There was a sound behind him, the sound of someone moving. All of a sudden, the room was filled with light from Filibuster's Fireworks and tiny flashing balls which played notes like a piano. Bright flashes came from all different sides In the lights, he saw what looked like familiar faces, and suddenly heard about a dozen voices. 

Those voices were shouting "Happy Birthday". Harry dropped his wand, causing another jet of sparks to fly from its tip. He heard a woman's voice say, "For goodness sakes, let's have some light. I think we've scared the poor boy enough!" 

Finally, Harry could see where he was. It was a wood paneled room, filled with balloons which floated around the room on their own power, tiny lights which exploded silently again and again, piles of candies, a line of at least ninety nine bottles of Butterbeer, and a gigantic cake which said "Happy Birthday Harry" over and over in a voice that reminded Harry of the woman in the computer game Dudley had been playing all summer, in his room, with his door closed. 

He had barely a moment to take in the room before Ron jumped next to him, laughing. "We really surprised you, didn't we? You thought nothing was going to happen until tomorrow, didn't you?" 

Hermione, who had somehow arrived in this room as well, looked at Ron and Harry with confusion in her eyes, and a smile on her face, and said, "I thought we made it very clear to Harry that we were having a party for him on his birthday. Since it is now his birthday, he should've expected it. And don't even ask, my parents do know where we are. They were in on it all along!" She sounded very pleased that Harry had been surprised. 

Harry finally found his voice, and said, "Expect this? Never! It really is a complete surprise." He looked around the room and waved at his classmates, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan were talking Quidditch and Muggle soccer with Justin Fitch-Fletchley, while Neville Longbottom was telling Ginny Weasley, Lavender Brown and the Patil twins about the Underwater Orchids he and his grandmother had seen on their summer vacation in Algeria. He had brought one back for Ginny. Ron's parents were now chatting with a table of other grownups whose backs were to Harry; he waved to Mr. Weasley and silently said "Thank you" to Mrs Weasley. Harry finished his sentence. "I don't even know where we are or how I got here, or how Hermione got here. Hermione, you didn't Apparate, did you?" 

"How many times do I have to tell you, you cannot Apparate into Hogwarts," Hermione said, affronted. 

"We're at Hogwarts?" Harry asked. 

"She's kidding you," said Ron. 

"He's right," said Hermione. "I haven't started Apparation Lessons yet; that's next summer's project." 

"We're at _Walt & Steven's _in Diagon Alley. It's the party room behind Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. It's been rented for the night, for this party." 

"But how did we get here? I opened the window, someone pulled me through, and here I was. How?" 

A pompous voice behind him said, "Somebody made a special arrangement with the Ministry of Magic to station an Ostiary at a Muggle house. That brought you here." 

Harry turned around and said, "Hello, Percy. You sound like you don't approve." 

"I do hope you have a happy birthday, Harry, but Ostiaries are very difficult to arrange, and it is against all the rules to use them for frivolous purposes like a birthday party," Percy Weasley said. Percy was Ron's older brother, and had spent the past year, since leaving Hogwarts, at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Between the recent death of the head of his department and the disappearance of the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Percy had recently been moved to the Games department, where he was involved in organizing Portkeys to Quidditch farm team games. 

"Oh, sod off Percy, you're not in the Improper Use of Magic Office." Fred Weasley grinnedat Harry, and wished him a Happy Birthday as well. If Dad wants to get an Ostiary as a present for Harry, that's his business." 

Harry started to ask a question as Percy turned on his heel, and stalked off to the other side of the room, where his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, was talking with a girl Harry didn't recognize. 

"What's an Ostiary?" Harry asked. After four full years in the wizarding world, there were still so many things he didn't know.   
Fred's twin George replied, "They're a kind of gatekeeper. They use very powerful magic to pull you from an opening, like a window or a door, into another room. They're very nice creatures, can't pull you into anything dangerous, but they can catch you off guard." 

"Hermione, was it you who was pulling on my ankles?" 

"Of course! I read in Minor Magical Creatures And The Jobs They Do that they can only pull once before they have to take a rest to recover from the effort, so the only way I could get here for the start of the party was to come with you. You didn't mind, did you?" 

"Of course he didn't, Hermione," said Fred, winking. "We'll see you in a few minutes". The twins grinned and excused themselves to hand out their newest candy creations to the rest of the guests – sour drops which let you spit in twelve different colors. 

Ron glared at his brothers as they walked away. "What did he mean by that wink?" 

Before either of them had a chance to answer, Harry was lifted into the air. His head nearly hit the ceiling as he heard Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, say, "A much better birthday than the one yeh celebrated four years ago, eh Harry?" Harry briefly thought back to that night, which he started huddled on the floor of a freezing hut on a rock in the sea during a rainstorm, his Aunt and Uncle asleep in the only bedroom, and his cousin Dudley snoring on the only sofa, and which ended with his learning that he, and his parents, were all wizards. Even though he still spent most of each summer with the Durselys, his life before Hogwarts was starting to seem like nothing more than a strange and uncomfortable dream. 

Hermione asked Hagrid how his summer had been so far. "Did you go on that voyage Dumbledore was asking you to take? And how is Madame Maxime?" 

Hagrid continued, "I can' talk about that just yet. Later in the fall, things may be changin', that's all I can say fer now. 

Hermione looked disappointed. The three of them thought Hagrid was going to try to find the giants who had left Great Britain years before, to convince them not to support Voldemort, and they wanted to know if Hagrid had been successful in tracking the giants down. 

"Olympe's fine, an' back at her school. I'm gonna go visit her next week," Hagrid added. An' all those presents're piled up on those tables are for yeh, Harry. I think someone even got you a dog. Dunno where you're gonna keep it at school, Harry. Maybe I should watch over it for you." 

Harry had barely heard the last of Hagrid's words. He was looking all over the room for a big, shaggy, black dog, and finally saw, sitting on a chair over in the corner, with a big red bow around its neck, "Sirius! I mean, Snuffles!" The dog leapt off the chair, and in two bounds, was in front of Harry. He was nearly knocked off his feet my the dog's giant paws, but landed against the table he was standing in front of. Hermione threw her arms around the dog's neck, and Ron scratched him between his ears. "I thought you were going to be at Lupin's! Why are you here? Did you have anything to eat?" The black dog wagging tail almost upset a bottle of Butterbeer. 

Hagrid, who was still standing there, looked at Harry, Ron, Hermione and the dog, very confused. "Harry, how do yeh know this dog?" 

Harry wanted to tell Hagrid, to let him know that the black dog was really his godfather, Sirius Black, his father's best friend, but he couldn't. Sirius was still in hiding, because the Ministry of Magic believed he had been the cause of Harry's parents' death, and that he had killed a dozen muggles and Peter Pettigrew, even though Harry, Ron and Hermione had heard Peter confess to his involvement and Sirius's innocence, over a year before. It was risky for Sirius to be here, at a party in Diagon Alley, where there were Ministry of Magic staffers, like Percy Weasley, who didn't know that he was innocent. 

But all Harry could say to Hagrid was, "Let's just say, he's an old family friend. I'll tell you more when I can, I promise." Hagrid reached down and patted Sirius's back. 

"If you have to keep secrets from me, it's okay Harry. If I can' tell you about some things, I gotta expect that there's things you can' tell me about either." 

"I want to, Hagrid. It's just not the right time." He nudged Hermione. 

Hermione took Harry's hint. "Hagrid, come and tell me what you've got planned for Care of Magical Creatures this term. I want to get a head start on my reading." She and Ron led Hagrid over to one of the Pumpkin Tart and Cauldron Cake covered tables, leaving Harry with Sirius for the moment. 

"Sirius, if you change back into a person, will anyone here recognize you?" The dog nodded. "I mean other than me, Ron, Hermione & Ron's parents. All of us are allowed to know that you're, well, you." The dog nodded again. "So you can't transform right now." Sirius shook his head, and for the first time, Harry noticed a piece of parchment tied to the red ribbon. "Is that for me to read?" Sirius nodded, and moved his head so Harry could pull the parchment away. 

Sirius sat on the floor as Harry pulled up a chair, and began to read softly: 

_Happy Birthday Harry! I can still remember seeing your father's head in my fireplace on July 31, 1980, telling me that I had to Apparate straight over to St Mungo's Hospital of Magical Maladies, because you were on your way. It was around 1 o'clock in the morning, and if I hadn't just gotten home, he would've woken me up. I think I got there about five minutes after you were born – all red and yelling. And James was a father, and I was so happy for him. I finally got to hold you at around nine that morning – you woke up from a nap in Lily's arms, and you were so small, it felt like I was lifting a tiny owl.___

_There's a lot more I want to tell you, and a few things I was asked to give you today. Before you go to sleep tonight, please open the octagon-shaped package with the silver wrapping paper. It's in the middle of the present table. You've had to go too long without seeing…well, if I tell you more, I'll ruin the present.___

_I can't really say, "Enjoy" about it, but I know you'll appreciate it.___

_Love, Sirius_   
__ __

Harry looked into Sirius' eyes. "Can I open it now? If I've waited too long, I don't want to wait longer." Harry thought Sirius was about to nod again, but… 

"Now that everyone's here, I think it's time for speeches, then cake, and then presents." Harry looked up and saw Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, appear in the middle of the room. 

(stay tuned for Part 3 - speeches, cake & presents!)   



End file.
